Going through the house you grew up in or old boxes from mom and dad's house may yield more than you thought it would if you owned and kept some of the toys you played with when you were young. The 80s and 90s were not that long ago, but a lot of the toys that came from that time are now worth hundreds if not thousands of dollars! However, if you do have some of these, make sure to do your research about reselling so you do not get less than you should. These toys are worth a lot more than what mom and dad bought them for, that is for sure!
A toy collector by the name of Laurie Anderson Dowell, said, “The most important feature to a toy’s value is usually whether it is in its original packaging, and what kind of condition the box, card, or bubble is in. MIP (mint in package) and MIB (mint in box) toys are more highly covetable.” We put together a list of the most valuable toys you may have gotten as a kid so you can check out if you are a lot wealthier than you thought you were a few minutes ago. Maybe you got one of the toys on this list for Christmas one year and never opened it, leaving it to collect dust in a box? Many people are luckier than they thought they would be thanks to this list!
Happy Meal Toys
AVERAGE OG PRICE: Free (with purchase of a Happy Meal) MIGHT FLIP FOR: $100
McDonald's does not have Happy Meals in the value menu anymore, meaning the meal now costs $3.99 in many of the locations. The toys that were given out years ago with the Happy Meals are seeing their value skyrocket.
The meal itself many not be as cheap as it once was, but if you got one of those toys and somehow managed to keep hold of it (especially in the plastic) then you could be seeing yourself selling it on eBay for $100 and up! The entire set of McFurby's just went on sale for no less than $899. Talk about a price jump from the original!
Skip-It
AVERAGE OG PRICE: $12.89 (new) MIGHT FLIP FOR: $120 (vintage)
There was not a kid in the 90s who did not have or want this toy. What made everyone want this was the epic commercial that was filmed at Ravinia Elementary School in Highland Park, Illinois. The commercial was aired during children's programming, which was a brilliant move since after that kids everywhere wanted to have this toy swinging around its ankle.
Skip-It is still for sale in many toy stores, but kids have lost their interest in many of the physical toys and are far more into iPads and video games these days. However, if you happen to have a vintage Skip-It laying around, collectors just might take it off your hands for $120 if you have it in its original packaging.
Lite Brite
AVERAGE OG PRICE: $9.97 MIGHT FLIP FOR: $130-150
How incredibly meditative and whimsical it was to create brightly lit and colorful patterns with a Lite Brite. It was so popular that Time Magazine even named it one of the top 100 toys ever in an article they wrote about the best toys around. This toy has been around since 1967 and continued to be popular through the 90s.
Have you been smart and have held on to your Lite Brite by any chance? If so, and you have it in its original box, you could sell it for anywhere between $130 to $150. Lite Brites are still sold in toy stores, but they are newer versions and nowhere near as cool as the original.
Moon Shoes
AVERAGE OG PRICE: $37.52 (new) MIGHT FLIP FOR: $200 (vintage)
These shoes make you feel like you are walking on the moon and were all the rage in the 80s and 90s. They may look strange, but who ever looked normal as they were walking on a zero gravity surface? The imitation of walking on the moon was fun enough as this toy sold like hot cakes.
The moon shoes originally went on the market in the 1950s and saw good sales all the way through to the 1990s - a big feat (pun intended) for a toy. If you happen to have any vintage pairs, you might be able to sell them for upwards of $200 on eBay.
View Master
AVERAGE OG PRICE: $12.50 (new) MIGHT FLIP FOR: $430 (vintage)
This is one of the oldest toys on this list and also one of the most beloved. The View Master was initially introduced onto the market all the way back in 1939. Kids and adults alike loved looking through the binocular-like toy to see images and other photos. Many tourist attractions and images of places to travel to around the world would make up a majority of the images inside the toy.
Disneyland used them for rides, and many shows and movies used them within them, such as Jurassic Park and E.T. There are newer versions of the toy sold now but the original is the one selling for top dollar.
Strawberry Shortcake Dolls
AVERAGE OG PRICE: $20 (for new) MIGHT FLIP FOR: $550 (for vintage)
The main protagonist of The World of Strawberry Shortcake, a six-year-old red-headed little girl named Strawberry Shortcake, is the very doll you see here that was introduced to the world in 1979. The character, created by Muriel Fharion, would have films, television shows, merchandise and toys made about her - as you see here. The whole of the franchise is owned by DHX Media, a Canadian company.
At the moment, on eBay, a vintage Strawberry Shortcake character by the name of Banana Twirl is going for $550! Other characters in their original packaging could easily go for as much as that, so go ahead and see if you kept yours!
Super Soaker
AVERAGE OG PRICE: $10-50 MIGHT FLIP FOR: $600
There was not a kid in the neighborhood who did not want this toy for the summertime. The Super Soaker uses manually pressurized air to squirt water all over your loved ones and get you in a whole lot of trouble. Parents everywhere got them for their kids and regretted it later. The toy was so popular that it generated over $1 billion in total sales.
This Super Soaker was one of the most high in demand toys to be resold on eBay in 2015. While the demand may be slower now, it is still worth a lot more than what your mom and dad bought it for.
Toy Story Toys
AVERAGE OG PRICE: $30 (new) MIGHT FLIP FOR: $700 (vintage)
Yes it is ironic that a toy from a movie about toys is selling as much as this but it is fact. Toy Story is a beloved movie franchise that is not slowing down. Many kids got the original characters when they were kids in the 90s when the movie first came out. Some of the main characters now sell for hundreds of dollars - Buzz Lightyear, for example, sells for $550 and Woody for a cool $580!
It is said that supporting role characters in the movie sell for even more. Many of the villains such as Stinky Pete, sell for $700.
Nintendo 64 Games
AVERAGE OG PRICE: $59.99 MIGHT FLIP FOR: $750
If you happen to have the right Nintendo 64 games, you are in for a sweet surprise as to how much they are worth today. A perfect example is Mario Kart 64 - an unopened box can get you $750! Another one that would earn you even more money is Harvest Moon 64.
The game has such a loyal fanbase and it is thanks to them that the price of the Harvest Moon 64 game went up to upwards of $900 in mint condition wrapping.
Jurassic Park Toys
AVERAGE OG PRICE: $26.99 (new) MIGHT FLIP FOR: $900 (vintage) The Jurassic Park films were a massive hit with the American and international public. The fanbase off the films was massive and loyal, meaning toys were sold in massive quantities. Both human and dinosaur toys based on the film were created and sold everywhere.
Today, if you happen to have one of those left in its original box, you are one lucky individual. Thanks to the movie's reboot in 2015, collectors recently bought a Jurassic Park Lost World Series One Thrasher Tyrannosaurus Rex for $900! Go and dig back in those boxes!
Furby
AVERAGE OG PRICE: $35 MIGHT FLIP FOR: $900
Where there is a Furby, there is extra money. If you have an old Furby lying around somewhere collecting dust, you should dust it off and get it ready for a new home. A Furby can be sold, and we are very serious about this, for $900!
The annoying and furry creature that was every 90s kids dream toy yet every parents nightmare, is now worth many times its original worth, making the annoying toy very much worth the incessant gibberish they had to listen to from the creature. To earn that $900, the Furby will need to be in its original box.
My Little Pony Dolls
AVERAGE OG PRICE: $13 (new) MIGHT FLIP FOR: $900 (vintage)
In the 1980s, over 150 million My little Pony dolls were sold in the United States alone. The dolls were introduced in 1982 and were a hit from the very beginning. The dolls were everything a little girl wanted - colorful, magical, and heartwarming. The toy was so successful then that it continues to be sold in newer version today.
However, the vintage original ones are the ones who are being sold for the big bucks on eBay these day. In its original packaging, a My Little Pony doll can fetch as much as $900. The ones with the "pony points" and "flutter ponies" that are worth even more.
Pogs
AVERAGE OG PRICE: Free (with purchase) MIGHT FLIP FOR: $1,000
Pogs were originally cardboard inserts that were round and on the inside of a cap of a milk bottle. These pogs quickly became a flipping game and massively grew in popularity. They are now sold for around $1,000 - if you have the entire Marilyn Monroe set that is. The entire set is very rare to have which is why it is fetching such a high price.
If you happen to have the whole Jurassic Park set, you may be able to sell it for even greater than $1,000! Normal sets can fetch $100 or so, but even so that is one serious sum.
Game Boy
AVERAGE OG PRICE: $89.99 MIGHT FLIP FOR: $750-$1,500
There is nothing like an old Game Boy. These devices kept kids busy and happy for hours at a time and the vintage ones were just as good, if not better. Created originally in 1989, the device quickly grew in popularity. If you were raised in the 90s, you most likely got one at some point.
You can resell your old Game Boy for a lot more than you thought. An original Game Boy can be sold on eBay for as much as $1,000. If you were lucky enough to have the gold-plated and diamond encrusted one (as if you would?!), that one can be sold for $25,000.